Faculty Salaries Inch Upward, but Gender Gap Remains, Survey Finds

By PIPER FOGG

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Despite fears that the recession would result in professors' receiving little or no raises this academic year, average faculty pay nationwide rose 3.0 percent in 2002-3. It was the sixth consecutive year that salaries have increased.

The data come from an annual report on the economic status of professors that is being released today by the American Association of University Professors. Average pay for full-time faculty members rose to $65,048 from $62,895, according to the report, which is based on a survey of colleges and universities around the country.

The good news was tempered by the fact that the rate of increase was smaller than the previous year's rise of 3.8 percent, and was the smallest since 1996-97. Taking into account the inflation rate of 2.4 percent from December 2001 to December 2002, average salaries rose by just 0.6 percent, compared with 2.2 percent in the previous academic year.

Even more sobering, said Ronald G. Ehrenberg, a professor of industrial and labor relations and economics at Cornell University and author of the report, is that professors at public institutions received lower salary increases than their peers at private institutions.

That disparity, argued Mr. Ehrenberg, makes it more difficult for public colleges to hire and retain top faculty members, especially at the senior level. One indicator of that difficulty is the continuation rate for associate professors, the proportion who remain at their institution from one year to the next. According to the report, that rate has been lower at public institutions during the last few years.

The report had mixed news for women. Compared with last year, the proportion of women at the full-professor level rose to 22.3 percent from 21.4 percent, and at the associate-professor level to 37.9 percent from 37.3 percent. But among assistant professors, the proportion of women fell slightly, to 45.9 percent from 46.1 percent.

While the number of female faculty members is rising, a salary gap remains between male and female professors. At the full-professor level, men made an average of $9,913, or 12.6 percent, more than women. At the associate-professor level, men made an average of $4,387, or 7.4 percent, more than women. Male assistant professors made an average of $4,045, or 8.2 percent, more than their female counterparts.

Most faculty members stay at the same institution, so pay data on "continuing" professors are often considered a more accurate reflection of salary increases in academe. This year, continuing faculty members received raises averaging 4.3 percent.

The survey also found that:

As in years past, assistant professors' pay rose the most, at 3.8 percent, compared with 3.4 percent for full professors, 3.1 percent for associate professors, and 2.2 percent for instructors. That is not all that surprising because competition from industry can drive up salaries for faculty members, particularly those just beginning their careers.

Salary compression continues to be a problem. New assistant professors are now essentially making the same amount as associate professors because market demands require higher salaries to attract people to education these days.

Among both public and private institutions, dispersion of faculty salaries has increased. Dispersion is the extent to which the data are not clustered around the average. That trend is additional evidence that it is becoming more difficult for some institutions to attract and retain high-quality professors.

This year's report is based on a survey of 1,454 institutions -- 788 public, 310 private, and 356 church-related. The survey omits the salaries of medical professors because their pay -- typically much higher than that of other faculty members -- would skew the results.

The report appears in the March/April issue of Academe, the AAUP magazine. Copies can be purchased for $68.50 each, including postage, by writing to the American Association of University Professors, 1012 14th Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20005; or calling (202) 737-5900.

The text of the report and its major tables are scheduled to be posted today on the AAUP's Web site. Listings for individual institutions are available only in the written report